How to Save Money on Groceries

Updated on January 1, 2013

Saving money on groceries is easier than you might think. All you need is a little time, discipline and organization. Soon, you could find yourself saving hundreds of dollars a year. Personally, I know what it is like to live on a tight budget, and groceries are one of the few variable expenses anyone can learn to spend less on. Once I started clipping coupons, and using them, it really opened my eyes to how much money I was throwing away before.

Getting Started with Coupon Clipping

It’s definitely easy enough to find coupons. Of course, there’s the Sunday newspaper, you can always find good deals there. Yes, the newspaper does cost money, but the value of the coupons inside, far out-weighs the expense of buying it. There are also several websites online that offer either printable coupons, or you can pick and choose and they mail them out to you. Also, grocery store flyers sometimes have coupons, or if your grocery store is like mine, they will post coupons on a board and throughout the store along the shelves.

Organizing Your Coupons

Once you’ve scoured the area for all the useful coupons you could find, you need a way to make them easy to use. You could carry them in your wallet or purse, but there are issues with this method. Let’s say, you have a stack of twenty to forty coupons, every time you’re ready to go shopping you have to take out that entire stack and sort through it again, and again. The best approach I have found, is to purchase a binder, and some business card holder sheets. File your coupons in the binder, according to expiry date. If you want to go really wild with organization, you could arrange your coupons by categorizing them into groups; pharmacy, cleaners & toiletries, pet supplies, dry & packaged goods, freezer and dairy products, etc. This is guaranteed to help you find that coupon you need without any hassles, and you’ll always know what coupons are about to expire.

Getting the Most from Your Coupons

I try to make the best of the coupons I have. Before I go to the grocery store, I shop the flyer. I try to match any coupons I have with items on sale, maximizing my savings as much as possible. Then I pay close attention to coupons about to expire, and make sure I use them if I can. Then I write out my grocery list, I like to identify items I am using a coupon with on the list, so I do not forget to use it while at the store.

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Grocery shopping is inevitable, everyone's got to eat. But I actually find it more enjoyable now that I am coupon clipping, especially when I see the amount of savings at the end of the month. Try these tips out and let me know how it goes. Happy coupon clipping!